House to Home

There are home maintenance tasks out there that are total secrets! Did you know that? We all know that we need to clean out our gutters if we want them to function well and we need to change out our air filters for the same reason- proper function. But what about these secret tasks? Thankfully, the folks at realtor.com didn’t leave us in the dark. Here are some of the home maintenance chores we may have overlooked and why it’s beneficial to add them to the list of tasks!

I have the itch. I dream of the sweet taste of lemonade, the hearty smell of charcoal, and have visions of fireflies dancing in my head! I’m ready for summer but specifically for entertaining in my backyard—having friends over to enjoy good food and build memories—ahh I can’t wait! Who’s with me!? I thought today we could add to the itch by checking out some of the internet’s favorite backyard entertaining ideas.

Can’t seem to find a house to buy? You aren’t alone in this, the inventory is at a 20-year low, according to USA Today. Plus, in our area, homes priced between $120k and $200k seem to be flying off the market. For many families this creates a bit of a pickle because of the inventory they can’t find an existing home to buy but don’t have the amount of money required to build a traditional home. The solution may be found in manufactured and modular homes.

Does anyone else develop crushes on homes? As you stroll through the established neighborhood with its stately homes and towering trees, do you day dream about living in one of these with its squeaky staircase and wooden floors? For me, the charm of an older home and the character it possesses can make my head spin into a fantasy that is miles away from reality. I picture myself lounging in front of the big bay windows, taking in the sun and sipping lemonade. But the reality of the situation is I would likely have the curtains drawn, trying to keep the heat out helping the AC do its best to keep up in a drafty old home.

When my co-worker mentioned the word Wabi-Sabi to me, I immediately envisioned a cute little sushi counter—there is actually a restaurant in Carrolton, KY called Wabi-Sabi, we came to find out—but we are not discussing sushi today. Instead, we are discussing this Japanese tradition that looks at the beauty in imperfection. HGTV published an article that gives us ways to incorporate Wabi- Sabi into our own homes; “celebrat(ing) the imperfect beauty of nature, with all of its natural flaws and blemishes.” To incorporate this as design it, “means saying yes to imperfection, natural objects, texture and unique materials.”

Having been raised in Kentucky, (warning: I’m about to feed into a stereotype) I spent many summers running around barefoot. In fact, my mom used to get on my brother and I about needing to wear shoes, especially when we would come home with scraped up feet from our barefoot bike riding adventures. As I’ve matured and realized that protecting your feet is a better option; I have grown to be more comfortable wearing shoes. But also, as I’ve aged and my friends started having children, I noticed more and more people were asking me to remove my shoes when I come into their home. I mean, come on people, now my polish must be kept up in the winter too? So, the question becomes, why do my friends want me to remove my shoes? And does it really make for a healthier living environment?